NUNAVUT - Two elementary classes, one in Iqaluit, the other in Grise Fiord, recently exchanged Valentine cards and poems with their pen pals on the other side of the Arctic Circle.

Samantha Killiktee, a Grade 4 student at Umimmak School in Grise Fiord, reads the Valentine's Day card she received from her pen pal in Iqaluit. - photo courtesy of Olivia Brown

For Samantha Killiktee, a Grade 4 student at Umimmak School in Grise Fiord, it's the first time she's had a pen pal. She added she enjoys writing.

"It's fun when we get letters back," she said.

Her teacher Olivia Brown befriended Daniel Farrow, a teacher at Nanook School in Apex, before she moved farther North. As both were teaching Grade 4/5 students, they decided to start the pen pal exchange as a way for their students to learn more about other people their age and as a writing exercise.

"It's a great way to get the kids to write. It's fun for them to have pen pals," said Brown.

She has nine students in her class in Grise Fiord, and her students initiated the exchange, first sending letters of introduction explaining what life was like in their own community with a funny story to the students in Apex, who then replied. Brown said they expect two or three more exchanges this year.

At the other end of the mail bag is Farrow's class of 12 students at Nanook School. As one class is bigger than the other, the smaller class sends extra letters while more than one student in the larger class sends a letter to the same student in the smaller class.

Mark Wisintainer Jr. learned his pen pal's favourite colours – blue and green.

"It's fun to talk to (my pen pal) because I have a new friend from Grise Fiord," he said.

Shoatie Peter also learned his pen pal's favourite colour -- blue and purple.

"It's just fun to write and talk. It's just fun to talk to people on the pen pal," he said.

"It's great because I get to know people who I barely know," said Annie Pishuktie.

Farrow said the letter exchange has been a success.

"It's great for the kids. They look forward to it all the time. It's good for writing and good for them to think about other people in Nunavut," said Farrow. "More than anything, the kids really get a kick out of getting a letter and it motivates them to write. That's the best part."